Worth

“Some values are…like sugar on the doughnut, legitimate, desirable, but insufficient, apart  the doughnut itself. We need substance as well as frosting.” – Ralph Tyler Flewelling

 

When I started thinking about the post today, I was trying to find a way to describe what is happening in the workforce and how the demise of ethics is hurting business.

As some of my readers know, I have recently moved and took on a new job. The area I relocated to, is in a heavy oil extraction part of the country. The draw of big bucks and the result of young people thinking that money is easy come by, either because they have chosen to leave school prior to graduation, or their parents have lavished them with ‘things’, has somewhat altered their perception of reality.

We are not new to the area, as we lived near here five years ago.  I think, once again, the youth have not seen the crisis that happens when the ‘patch’ shuts things down because the price of the barrel drops.  The thoughts, and currently it is so, that they can just go across the street and get another job, affects the way they perform on the job.  I have had gentle talks with some of my young co-workers and mentioned that they were performing as more of an anchor than a life-preserver.  I asked why they thought that was.  The replies varied, but overall, the consensus was, the thought that the employer ‘needed’ them.   I was told that they were not performing to their best ability because they felt they were being overlooked for advancement.

When I suggested that the reason they were overlooked was because of the way they were performing. It came back full circle, yes that was true, but the employer needed THEM. Wow.

So here I sit, trying to think of a way to get these kids to think about a future without the big bucks or the convenience of multiple job options.  It will not last forever and then what will they have to fall back on?